President Obama to Visit Africa, a Continent He Has Largely Ignored During First Term

President Obama To Visit Africa: Secretary of State John Kerry said President Obama will visit Africa, though he didn’t give a time frame for such a trip. I am very surprised that President Obama hasn’t really paid much attention to the African continent, while China is playing a greater role in sub-Saharan Africa.

The first African-American President spent less than one day in Black Africa during his first visit in office four years ago. President Obama had made a stopover in Ghana six months after his inauguration in January 2009.

Some Africa specialists in the United States suggest that Mr Obama is unlikely to visit Kenya as long as President Uhuru Kenyatta remains under indictment by the International Criminal Court.

US-based Kenya scholar Joel Barkan told the Kenya’s DailyNation newspaper last month that the chances of Mr Obama travelling to Kenya in the coming year are “relatively remote.”

Ms Jendayi Frazer, who held the State Department’s top Africa post under President George W. Bush, agreed in March that an Obama trip to Kenya was unlikely to occur soon.

Secretary Kerry meanwhile announced on Thursday that he will attend the African Union summit in Ethiopia next month. Source: Zimbabwe Mail

Kerry recognizes that the Chinese are outpacing the U.S. in terms of investments on the continent. He referred to China’s growing presence having an impact on business practices and one that “has not been a positive one in some regards,” with a reference to “bribery.”